Tight fit no problem on parade route

The World Champions marvel at last week's celebration

Here are some of the notable quotes from around Major League Baseball this week:

"Did you guys see the parade today? The parade was by far the most impressive thing I've ever been a part of. I've heard a lot about it. I've heard how fun it was going to be, how many people were going to show up. But I never expected that.

"I know we have some pretty die-hard crazy fans, but I didn't know we had that many. It's good to see it."

--Chase Utley on taking part in the parade down Broad Street after the Philllies won the World Series.
(Philadelphia Inquirer)

"Devastated. I'll be honest with all of you. I'm devastated and very sad -- I can't lie.

"At the same time, I also am smart enough to know it has been a magical season all the way up to this point. I'm proud that I think, not only myself, but the whole entire team, we had faith -- even on that last pitch -- that something good was going to happen, that we were still going to find a way to win this series. And because of that unwavering faith we had, I'm extremely proud of this ballclub. But I still can't believe that this is the end. I thought that this perfect story needed a perfect ending. This is not what I had in mind."

--Carlos Pena commenting on his feelings after the Rays lost the World Series to Philadelphia in five games.
(MLBlogs.com)

"There were some emotions. A couple of times we stopped, and I was really trying to take it in. Everywhere you looked there were people. In office buildings in the windows. In parking garages. On the street. Everywhere. I don't know if I have words to describe today yet. This is going to take a while to soak in."

--Jamie Moyer on the scene during the parade down Broad Street after the Phillies won the World Series.
(Philadelphia Inquirer)

"We're not playing any ball anymore. It hit me this morning when I woke up. But I woke up all smiles."

--James Shields talking about driving to Tropicana Field last week to clean out his locker for the offseason instead of getting ready to pitch in a game.
(St. Petersburg Times)

"I had no idea what to expect. There were certain stints where I thought people were going to get run over. It was unbelievable. I looked at Cole [Hamels] and I said, 'How the heck is this truck making it down the street right now without clipping somebody?' The streets were so crowded, it was unbelievable. It was so much fun."

--Brett Myers commenting on the parade down Broad Street after the Phillies won the World Series.
(Philadelphia Inquirer)

"Obviously we have some talent here, and we have fun playing together. So just coming back in Spring Training, guys are gonna be happy and ready to go again. We tasted October. We tasted the World Series. We're never gonna be happy until we get back there and win it."

-- Jason Bartlett commenting on the success the Rays had this season and how he is ready to build on the team's success next season.
(St. Petersburg Times)

"The one thing I can't wait to do is go down Broad Street again and again and again."

"I think this club is built to win for a long time. They have a lot of the young guys signed up for a while, most of the team is young, the pitching staff's one of the best in baseball, and the defense was vastly improved from what it was before. All the ingredients are there. You never know if you're going to be able to go to the playoffs or if you'll be able to win once you get there, but the team's going to be good."

--Rocco Baldelli talking about the Rays' success this season and expected success over the next several seasons.
(Tampa Tribune)

"There's not a guy on this team that doesn't want to give everything they've got, risk the chance of hurting themselves, to win for this team. I think that's the type of team we have, and that's why we won the World Series."

"I am doing well -- rehab three days a week. I haven't started throwing yet, probably around Christmas. I feel good about the way things have gone, but won't really know until I start throwing. I hope things go well and I can play next year, but really have to wait and see."

"I have a pretty good aptitude on the pitch, and working with Phil could be a big help in improving it in the upcoming season. You can never get too much information, especially with this pitch."

--Knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey on his hopes to work with Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro to learn more about the pitch.
(MLB.com)

"It's a tremendous honor. You always want to do well offensively, but I take pride in my defense. There are times you're struggling at the plate. There's never a time when you should struggle on defense."